Shoe, in particular an alpine ski boot

ABSTRACT

A shoe, in particular a ski boot for alpine skiing, has a substantially dimensionally stable sleeve extending from a fixing device on an upper into a calf region of a user. An insert part expands in wedge shape at least along some areas from the lower end of the insert part, the lower end being provided for arranging in the sleeve, to the upper end of the insert part, and which is provided for receiving in a calf section of the sleeve. The sleeve is formed with a material recess in the calf section which is provided for receiving the insert part. The wedge-shaped insert part is at least partly received in the material recess in a lower position. In an upper position, the insert part is arranged such that the material recess is bridged by the insert part to form a hollow chamber.

The invention relates to a shoe, more specifically an alpine ski boot, comprising a substantially dimensionally stable sleeve that extends from a fixing means on an upper into a calf region of a user, wherein an insert part is provided, which expands in the shape of a wedge at least along some areas from the lower end of said insert part to the upper end of said insert part, said lower end being provided for arranging in the sleeve, and which is provided for being received in a calf section of the sleeve. Furthermore, the invention relates to an insert part for the shoe according to the invention.

A variety of insert parts are known from the prior art, in particular for insertion into the upper end region of the sleeve facing the calf in alpine ski boots. Among those skilled in the art these insert parts are known as “calf spoilers”. Specifically, such insert parts have two functions. On the one hand, the insert parts are provided for adjusting the shoes to the height of the user of the shoe; taller persons can secure the insert part in a higher position, i.e. in a position with a larger portion protruding from the sleeve, so better backward support with respect to the length of the lower leg is achieved. On the other hand, said insert parts are also used to increase the forward lean angle of the lower leg with respect to a vertical plane, which is particularly advantageous for persons with relatively slim calves.

A known insert part of this type is illustrated schematically in FIGS. 1 a and 1 b, which show that such wedge-shaped insert parts lead to an increased forward lean angle of the lower leg when in a lower position, since the distance x between the resting surface for the calf of the insert part and the diametrically opposite portion of the sleeve is smaller than in the extended or upper position shown in FIG. 1 b. In the upper position shown in FIG. 1 b, better support with respect to the length of the lower leg is provided for the user, but at the same time the forward lean angle with respect to a vertical plane is smaller and the distance x′ with respect to the position shown in FIG. 1 a is larger, so an unfavorable smaller forward lean is provided for a user, thus making it more difficult to start a turn in alpine skiing.

Furthermore, many mechanisms with a relatively complicated design for setting different forward lean angles are known from the prior art, for example from FR 2 910 245 A, EP 724 850 A and EP 467 142 A1.

DE 39 35 262 A1 describes a ski boot with a spoiler attached to the shell, the spoiler being adjustable in two directions perpendicular to each other by means of adjustment devices.

A ski boot with a pivotable spoiler is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,337.

It is the object of the present invention to create a shoe of the initially mentioned type which does not require the user to choose either better backward support or a desired forward lean, but which provides safe backward support and the desired forward lean angle at the same time, in particular for tall persons as well.

According to the invention this is achieved by the sleeve comprising a material recess in the calf section, which is provided for receiving the insert part, said wedge-shaped insert part being at least partly received therein when in a lower position, while in an upper position the insert part is arranged such that the material recess is bridged by the insert part to form a hollow chamber.

Receiving the wedge-shaped insert part in a material recess of the sleeve in a lower position and bridging this recess in the upper position prevents the disadvantageous effect of an automatic decrease of the forward lean angle when the insert part is moved upward, which is present in known insert parts. Therefore, it is possible to provide the user with an even larger forward lean angle in an upper position of the insert part than in a lower position, depending on the type and/or depth of the material recess, the opening angle of the wedge-shaped insert part and the thickness of the sleeve in the upper end region.

It is thus particularly favorable for the forward lean angle between a vertical plane extending through a back end of the shoe and a resting surface of the insert part facing the interior of the sleeve to have at least the same size, in particular exactly the same size, in the upper position as in the lower position. In this way, the forward lean angle that is desired for the user may be set by means of the insert part, and by dislocating the insert part from a lower position to an upper position the backward support may be improved without making substantial changes to the forward lean angle desired by the user.

In order to show the user that the insert part is arranged in the desired upper or lower position in a simple way, it is favorable for the insert part to comprise at least one positioning element protruding on the side facing the sleeve while being placed within the sleeve. Of course it is possible to provide several lower and/or upper positions as well as any intermediate positions. If no positioning element of the above type is provided and the insert part is fixed to the sleeve in a different way, especially a stepless positioning in a variety of positions between the lower and the upper position is possible.

If the sleeve has an opening, in particular a through hole, for receiving the positioning element in the lower position of the insert part, the positioning of the insert part in the lower position can be set in a simple way by introducing the positioning element into the opening; at the same time, the insert part is held between the positioning element and the opening by the form-fit connection. In order to set the upper position in a simple manner, it is advantageous for the positioning element to rest on the upper rim of the sleeve when in the upper position.

To guarantee a safe fit of the insert part and especially to avoid an unintentional twisting of the insert part, it is advantageous to provide two positioning elements that are arranged spaced apart from each other.

Considering material savings in design, it is favorable for the insert part to comprise at least one ridge, which expands in the shape of a wedge on the side facing the sleeve. By this, the desired forward lean angle is guaranteed for the ridge(s) expanding in the shape of a wedge without the necessity for a full resting surface between the sleeve and the remaining portion of the insert part.

As the insert part is not intended to set the forward lean angle above the positioning elements in any case, it is sufficient to provide two wedge-shaped ridges expanding towards the positioning elements, with each positioning element protruding beyond the end of the respective ridge.

Considering an appropriate form-fit reception of the insert part in the lower position, it is advantageous for the material recess(es) to be appropriately designed to receive the ridge(s).

Tests showed that in order to obtain an appropriate forward lean angle for the user, it is favorable for the wedge-shaped insert part, in particular in the region of the ridges, to comprise an opening angle between 10° and 20°, in particular substantially 15°.

In order to guarantee a sufficient dimensional stability for the sleeve, it is favorable for the material forming the sleeve to be a thermoplastic, in particular thermoplastic polyurethane with a hardness of preferably 50 to 70 Shore D, and/or a polyamide elastomer with a hardness of preferably 50 to 70 Shore D, or plastic reinforced by glass fibers or carbon fibers.

Manufacturing the insert part from a thermoplastic or plastic reinforced by glass fibers and/or carbon fibers, with no basic limitation to any certain material being applied to this part, guarantees a low-cost and simple manufacture as well as sufficient stability for the insert part.

The invention will be explained in more detail by means of a preferred, non-limiting exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawings below. In the individual drawings:

FIG. 1 a shows a sectional view of a shoe with an insert part according to the prior art in a lower position;

FIG. 1 b shows a sectional view of the shoe with the insert part according to the prior art in an upper position;

FIG. 2 shows a view of an alpine ski boot with an insert part according to the invention arranged in the lower position;

FIG. 3 shows a view of the shoe according to FIG. 2 from behind;

FIG. 4 shows a securing device for the insert part, which is basically known from the prior art and may be provided for the insert part according to the invention as well;

FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of the upper end of the sleeve in the calf region with the insert part in a lower position;

FIG. 6 shows a sectional view according to FIG. 5, but with the insert part in an upper position;

FIG. 7 shows a view of the rear side of the insert part facing the sleeve; and

FIG. 8 shows a sectional view along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7.

As has been mentioned above, a sleeve of a shoe with a known insert part is shown in Figs. la and lb, with the basic functionality of such insert parts having already been described at the beginning.

FIG. 2 shows a lateral view of a shoe 1 according to the invention with an insert part 2, by which a forward lean angle a between a vertical plane 3′ extending through a heel 3 and a front resting surface 2′ of the insert part 2 can be seen. This forward lean angle a is not only provided in the lower position shown in FIG. 2, but is substantially retained when moving the insert part 2 to an upper position (see FIG. 6).

As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the insert part 2 is provided in its functional position in a rear calf region 4′ of a sleeve 4 connected to an upper 1′ of the shoe 1. In the alpine ski boot shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 a substantially stiff upper 1′ and the dimensionally stable sleeve 4 are connected to each other by a swivel joint connection 6. The insert part 2 is arranged between the dimensionally stable sleeve 4, which is preferably made of a thermoplastic or plastic reinforced by glass fibers or carbon fibers, and a cushioned inner shoe (not shown).

In FIG. 5 the connection between the sleeve 4 and the insert part 2 can be seen in detail while in a lower position. Here, the sleeve 4 comprises at least one material recess 7, in which a section of the wedge-shaped insert part 2 is at least partly received in the lower position. In order to enable a simple appropriate positioning, the insert part 2 comprises two positioning elements 8 that protrude substantially perpendicularly from its rear side and are received in a through hole 9 (see FIG. 3) of the sleeve 4 when in the lower position. In addition to (or instead of) the positioning elements 8 an attachment screw 10 may be provided, being received in a slot hole 11 of the insert part 2; in the loosened state of the screw 10, the insert part 2 can thus be displaced with respect to the sleeve 4 in the longitudinal direction of the slot hole 11. When tightening the screw 10, the position of the insert part 2 with respect to the sleeve 4 is reliably fixed.

As can be seen by comparing the lower and the upper position in FIGS. 5 and 6, the forward lean angle a between a vertical plane 3′ and the resting surface 2′ of the insert part 2 shown in FIG. 1 is substantially retained, since the insert part 2 is received at least partly in the material recess 7 in the lower position, while the material recess 7 is bridged to form a hollow chamber in the upper position. Despite the fact that in the upper position—in contrast to the lower position—a section of the wedge-shaped insert part 2 with a smaller thickness of the wall is arranged on the same height, the distance x described in conjunction with the prior art remains substantially constant. According to this, the forward lean angle a will substantially be retained and thus the possibility of starting a turn will not be reduced if a tall person wishes to improve backward stability. A larger forward lean angle a might also be obtained in the upper position, depending on the design of the opening angle β of the wedge-shaped insert part 2, the material recess 7 and in particular the upper end portion of the sleeve 4 in the resting region of the insert part 2 in the upper position.

As can best be seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, the insert part 2 may comprise protruding ridges 12, so the side of the insert part 2 facing the sleeve 4 does not rest against it with its entire area, but only the region of the ridges 12 does; according to this, the material recesses 7 of the sleeve 4 may also be provided in the region of the ridges 12 only. The defining feature for the invention is merely that by means of the design according to the invention, an increase of the backward stability by moving the insert part 2 upward may be accomplished without necessarily reducing the forward lean angle a due to the downwardly tapered wedge shape of the insert part 2. Quite on the contrary, the forward lean angle a may be retained or possibly increased in an upper position of the insert part 2 as well, depending on the dimensions of the wedge-shaped insert part 2, the indentation or material recess of the sleeve 4 and the end portion of the sleeve 4 adjacent to the upper end of the recess. 

1-15. (canceled)
 16. A shoe, comprising: a substantially dimensionally stable sleeve extending from a fixing device on an upper of the shoe into a calf region of a user; an insert part having a lower end disposed in said sleeve and expanding in wedge shape at least along some portions from said lower end to an upper end of said insert part, said insert part being configured to be received in a calf section of said sleeve; said sleeve being formed with a material void in the calf section thereof for receiving said insert part, wherein said wedge-shaped insert part is at least partly received therein when said insert part is in a lower position, while said material void is bridged by said insert part to form a hollow chamber when said insert part in an upper position.
 17. The shoe according to claim 16, configured as an alpine ski boot.
 18. The shoe according to claim 16, wherein a forward lean angle enclosed between a vertical plane extending through a back end of the shoe and a resting surface of said insert part facing an interior of said sleeve has a value in the upper position at least as great as a value thereof in the lower position.
 19. The shoe according to claim 18, wherein the forward lean angle in the lower position is equal to the forward lean angle in the upper position.
 20. The shoe according to claim 16, wherein said insert part comprises at least one positioning element protruding on a side facing said sleeve when said insert part is placed within said sleeve.
 21. The shoe according to claim 20, wherein said sleeve is formed with an opening for receiving said positioning element in the lower position of said insert part.
 22. The shoe according to claim 21, wherein said opening is a through hole.
 23. The shoe according to claim 20, wherein said positioning element rests on an upper rim of said sleeve in the upper position.
 24. The shoe according to claim 20, wherein said at least one positioning element is one of two positioning elements spaced apart from one another.
 25. The shoe according to claim 16, wherein said insert part comprises at least one ridge expands in a wedge shape on a side thereof facing said sleeve.
 26. The shoe according to claim 25, wherein said at least one ridge is one of two wedge-shaped ridges expanding towards said positioning elements, with each said positioning element protruding beyond an end of the respective said ridge.
 27. The shoe according to claim 25, wherein said material void is appropriately configured for receiving said ridge.
 28. The shoe according to claim 25, wherein said wedge-shaped insert part is formed with an opening angle between 10° and 20°.
 29. The shoe according to claim 28, wherein said opening angle is substantially 15°.
 30. The shoe according to claim 28, wherein said opening angle is defined in a vicinity of said ridges.
 31. The shoe according to claim 16, wherein said sleeve is formed of thermoplastic material.
 32. The shoe according to claim 31, wherein said sleeve is formed of at least one material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic polyurethane with a hardness of 50 to 70 Shore D and a polyamide elastomer with a hardness of 50 to 70 Shore D.
 33. The shoe according to claim 16, wherein at least one of said sleeve and said insert part is made of plastic reinforced by glass fibers or carbon fibers.
 34. The shoe according to claim 16, wherein said insert part is an injection-molded part of thermoplastic material.
 35. An insert part for a shoe according to claim 16, the insert part comprising a section that expands in a wedge shape, wherein the wedge-shaped section of the insert part is formed such that the wedge-shaped section may be at least partly received in the material void of the sleeve when in a lower position and the material recess may be bridged by the insert part to form a hollow chamber when in an upper position. 